28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Rowland]

High and Low and the eternally underrated Stray Dog often rest at the top of my Kurosawa rankings, which is funny considering his reputation for samurai films.

[number8]

Ah, yes. Awkward film school discussions... I remember...

"I love Kurosawa! Seven Samurai is pretty much the greatest movie ever. No contest."
"Oh yeah... Eh, I dunno, I think Ran is better, man."
"No, Rashomon, dude. Rashomon is great. That's my favorite."
"You guys like Yojimbo? I think that's, like, purely? That's his best like, straight up samurai flick, you know?"
"Um... My favorite Kurosawa is Dreams..."
"..."

[Russ]

Fixed.

[Qrazy]

Ah, yes. Awkward film school discussions... I remember...

"I love Kurosawa! Seven Samurai is pretty much the greatest movie ever. No contest."
"Oh yeah... Eh, I dunno, I think Ran is better, man."
"No, Rashomon, dude. Rashomon is great. That's my favorite."
"You guys like Yojimbo? I think that's, like, purely? That's his best like, straight up samurai flick, you know?"
"Um... My favorite Kurosawa is Dreams..."
"..."

You all fail. Throne of Blood.

[Qrazy]

Mediocre is maybe a strong word. I like it, but if we are comparing it to Laura, it just doesn't hold up.

Okay, I guess you're right.

[

Show Spoiler

It surpasses.

]

[Kurosawa Fan]

Just watched Kurosawa's High and Low; it was incredible. It seems to me it's a favorite of a few around around (including Kurosawa Fan? or am I thinking The Lower Depths?). Anyone written anything of any length about it at this site or on their blog? I could only find a few small mentions in the FDT and such.

I think I might have still been writing reviews at the time it popped up in my top 100 on the old site, but that review is long gone. Needless to say, it's a favorite.

[baby doll]

Weekend:

Lightning Over Water (Wim Wenders, 1980)
A State of Mind (Daniel Gordon, 2004)
Home (Ursula Meier, 2008)
Vincere (Marco Bellocchio, 2009)

Plus I still have The Only Son for another week. Also, I'll probably take a second look at Exit Through the Gift Shop now that it's opening in Halifax, and maybe the Michael Cera flick depending on the reviews.

[Boner M]

Scott Pilgrim
The Ghost Writer
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs and Flowing
Heartbeat Detector
At Close Range

[Sycophant]

WENDESDAY AFTERNOON?!

[

Show Spoiler

In the next week, I intend to see:
Scott Pilgrim
The Other Guys
Humanity & Paper Balloons
Yama no anata
Harakiri
Inception

Eh...and some others.

]

[Qrazy]

WENDESDAY AFTERNOON?!

[

Show Spoiler

In the next week, I intend to see:
Scott Pilgrim
The Other Guys
Humanity & Paper Balloons
Yama no anata
Harakiri
Inception

Eh...and some others.

]

Harakiri is going to rock your world so hard.

[Sycophant]

Harakiri is going to rock your world so hard.

Excellent. I've had this suspicion that that'll be the case. Samurai Rebellion got me pretty excited for this one. I've found myself thinking about it every few days at least since I watched it a couple months ago.

[Qrazy]

Excellent. I've had this suspicion that that'll be the case. Samurai Rebellion got me pretty excited for this one. I've found myself thinking about it every few days at least since I watched it a couple months ago.

Yeah. Samurai Rebellion is great, but Harakiri is Kobayashi's masterpiece imo.

[soitgoes...]

Harakiri is so much better than Samurai Rebellion, and Samurai Rebellion is great in its own right.

EDIT: Or what Qrazy said.

[Sycophant]

Anyone seen his The Human Condition? I wanna watch it soon, I think, though 9.5 hours is gonna require a plan of attack.

[MacGuffin]

Anyone seen his The Human Condition? I wanna watch it soon, I think, though 9.5 hours is gonna require a plan of attack.

No, but a 9.5 hour melodrama hardly seems like my cup of tea. I've heard it's a pretty overbearing film.

[Spinal]

I have 3 more episodes of Les Vampires to watch.

[Sycophant]

No, but a 9.5 hour melodrama hardly seems like my cup of tea. I've heard it's a pretty overbearing film.

It's probably my cup of tea, though. Just realized it stars Tatsuya Nakadai. Priority up!

[Derek]

High and Low and the eternally underrated Stray Dog often rest at the top of my Kurosawa rankings, which is funny considering his reputation for samurai films.

Stray Dog is one of my friend's favorites. I'm never that surprised, although always a little bit unsettled, by the number of people that consider High & Low his best. Don't get me wrong; it's fantastic, but it's probably his most Americanized film.

I didn't think there would be so much Preminger backlash. You all suck, etc.

I knew Qrazy's not a fan, though he's not big on at least a few other Cahiers-celebrated Hollywood auteurs.

But Preminger is great - I honestly don't know how anyone can call Laura mediocre.

Taking of Pelham 123 is two parts stellar to one part face-palmingly groany. Because thankfully it is quite excellent, unfortunately one must abide a bit of a soar face, mostly thanks to Brian Helgeland's poor sense of genre. My favorite thing was Travolta's performance, which was compelling while still satisfying the somewhat misguided instruction of his on-paper character. I'm loving this Cage-like resurgence in energy that he's having. I also think that Scott's style fits the material very nicely.

*roll tape*

Oh Svensos...I don't really know where to start.

[Derek]

Anyone seen his The Human Condition? I wanna watch it soon, I think, though 9.5 hours is gonna require a plan of attack.

I saw the first two years ago and both are fantastic. Haven't seen the third since Netflix dropped it once it went OOP, but I assure you it's worth your time. Tatsuya Nakadai is soooo good.

[soitgoes...]

It's probably my cup of tea, though. Just realized it stars Tatsuya Nakadai. Priority up!

It's one of Nakadai's best roles. I guess I could say this about 10 of his films I've seen. He's probably my favorite actor.

[StanleyK]

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is great. The prison break story isn't particularly fresh (although for all I know, it might've been in 1932), and the bluntly written first few minutes had me worried, but LeRoy's matter-of-fact direction strips the film from melodrama or hamfisted social commentary, letting tension and subtext rise naturally from the performances and material; by the time we get to the ending, we're as exhausted and broken as Allen, who slinks slowly to the shadows for a haunting final shot.

[Sycophant]

I saw the first two years ago and both are fantastic. Haven't seen the third since Netflix dropped it once it went OOP, but I assure you it's worth your time. Tatsuya Nakadai is soooo good.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys! I have a hard time watching long movies, but I just bumped these discs up to spot #3 on my Netflix queue. Hoping to get to them before the new semester starts.

[Sven]

Oh Svensos...I don't really know where to start.

I think I conveyed a rather sensible and well-reasoned opinion this time around.

[Derek]

I think I conveyed a rather sensible and well-reasoned opinion this time around.

I completely agree with the well-reasoned. It's the sensible part that gets me. It's precisely because your intelligent and you put thought into watching and writing about films that I'm so conflicted when you praise something as thoroughly mediocre and forgettable as the Pelham remake, not to mention calling out what I found to be the weakest element, Travolta's performance.

[Sven]

...not to mention calling out what I found to be the weakest element, Travolta's performance.

Really? I found his character quite dynamic, a constant flux of fear, desperation, confidence, humor, and sympathy, approached from an alluring perspective of utility and self-pity.

And to be fair, my praise is quite tempered with the realities of the film's numerous inadequacies. It feels fundamentally wrong to conclude the film with [

Show Spoiler

Denzel smiling after just losing a few colleagues and shooting a guy whose humanity he had come to recognize.

]